Aside #14: Aerobics: One Noun That Changed a Life

November 2011


Aerobics.  The one noun that changed my life.  This is my homage to the world of Aerobics Fitness.   

A large chunk of my adult fitness life has been spent as an aerobicizer -- high impact, anaerobic, sweaty, crowded, good times.... more so in years gone by than now ;) but the love remains. 

Aerobics has been the source of my energy, my social network, a place to connect with close friends, and a sanctioned outlet for my love of music and dance. It kept me motivated, balanced, energized, fit.  I planned my participation in each class carefully ... every day, for hours on end on weekends, while travelling for work or holidays, during times of serious illness ... nothing stopped me. 

Along the way, I've been fortunate, and amazed, to meet kindred souls, both participants and instructors alike, all of whom share the passion for hot, sweaty, super-hyped adrenaline bodies dancing up a frenzy to choreography and music that would literally set my blood on fire. 

I couldn't find a comprehensive piece of research on the history of Aerobics fitness or even here in Ottawa.  So below is my own take, with my own memories, and heavily laced with my own journey.  So, let me 'Go Crazy on You' in a whimsical, nostalgic kindof way.  WooHoo. 

What is Aerobics, exactly?

Dr. Kenneth Cooper, a physician working at a San Antonio air force hospital in Texas, first coined the word 'Aerobics' and published a program dedicated to 'total wellbeing' in 1968.  It sold about 30 million copies and is no longer published but it is indeed a classic.  

Dr. Cooper's motivation was a system of exercises to help prevent coronary artery disease. He introduced a point system for different types of cardiovascular fitness as well as fitness tests to determine individual fitness levels.  His has maintained a life-long commitment to research and programs to encourage cardiovascular well-being and established two well known institutions, The Cooper Institute and the Cooper Aerobics Centre in the U.S. 

Dr. Cooper had the moves but NOT the groove.  It took Jacki Sorenson, a fitness instructor, who in 1969 combined aerobic exercises, dance and music in a class format for Air Force wives at a base in Puerto Rico.  YouTube has a clip of the type of aerobics dance moves from that era.  It's completely hysterical to watch it now and think back on how far aerobics dance has progressed.  Her Jacki Sorensen's Fitness Classes still exist throughout the world.   

And Then Along Comes Jane ....  

Jane Fonda was my personal epiphany into the world of Aerobic Fitness and dance.  She was the first to really break into the Canadian mass market through VHS videos and I embraced home videos as my personal fitness mecca. 

(Short Note here:  I may have embraced the fitness craze but NOT the clothing.  No plunging or thong-y multi-coloured spandex, no leotards, definitely no leg warmers... But I did have BIG Hair. I was/am always outfitted in your basic black top, bottom, socks, wristband and warm-up jacket. :) 

My BJ (Before Jane) period was shall we say intermittent fitness-wise.  In my 20s and early 30s, I mostly worked out at the YMCA on Argyle Street in Ottawa where we would run around the large gym in a circle like hamsters on their wheels.  There was music and an instructor but mostly it was a place to meet friends.  I'd go through periods of fitness buff-ness and being so bored with it I'd drop out.  I tried other classes in the '80s, jazz in particular, but lacked enough formal training to last through many classes. 

By the time I met my virtual Jane, my fitness level was non-existent.  She entered my life at a moment of extreme stress and change. Husband and I had just moved to Winterpeg in 1988, celebrated an anniversary by getting married and I had taken a leave from my job as head of public affairs at an Advisory Council.  I loved the job but, of course, me being me, gave it more than I gave more fit-ting parts of my life.
 

Winterpeg was the perfect recipe for a personal funk. My memory is of 9 months of winter, square tires, battery plug-ins and cold.  Dry cold be damned.... it was friggin' cold.  I knew no one.  Even though I was on leave, I worked on contract, doing a chunk of my job from our home in Winterpeg.  I had a huge word processing machine (likely a Micom) that took up half a room and I wrote press kits stuffed with communications materials to accompany the launch of major research studies. 

The only place I knew was Purolator Courier.  I'd arrive there most nights just before its 10 p.m. closing time, diskettes in hand, and send an express package to Ottawa.  It would arrive there before 9 a.m. the next day (so who said you need Email and the Internet anyway?)  The only time I got out was to take time for another contract that came my way i.e., to help organize a conference to encourage women to enter politics.  Today, I'd tell 'em to run the other way ... fast ... but, in those days, I was younger and more idealistic.



Instead of a down funk-y 9 months, Jane Fonda made me 'feel the burn', in the form of a video cassette called Jane Fonda's New Workout Video .  It galvanized me.  I could not get enough. The concept of running and exercising to music ("Do It" was a particular favourite) hit the endorphin spot.  Every day I'd stop working around 3:30 or 4:00 p.m. and the Cat -- Mortimer -- and I would head for the family room, close the curtains on the white world outside, pop in the video, crank up the volume, and enter Jane zone for hours until Husband got home.

I loved the choreography so much that I learned it all by heart, intent on matching Jane move for move. I acquired more VHS cassettes (Jane did 23 in all) and moved between Aerobics and resistance videos.  I made friends with others in the field, like Kathy Smith and Husband tried Richard Simmons whose focus was more '50s and '60s rock 'n roll.  The house rocked.  The cat would lie under me when floor work was required and I'd have to 'pet and crunch and pet and crunch and scritch and double crunch and double pet'....

My Ottawa Aerobics Scene

By the time Husband and I returned to Ottawa and me to my job in 1990, I was securely launched into the Aerobics fitness craze.  Or thought I was.  It didn't last.  Super stress led once more to super unfit me.  The Council imploded with feminist politics.  I jumped to a royal commssion to do communications and well...more nasty politics, this time centred around post-structural feminism and power.  The commission finally exploded onto the front pages of every national newspaper and broadcast outlet.  Many staff left, including me, at one point

I eventually returned to work, but not until making a public declaration that I would leave the office for an hour and 15 minutes every single noon hour and hit the gym, no matter what was going on, no matter what stress or workload existed... And I kept my word.  For years, I lost myself in noon classes at gyms and Clubs (all long defunct), mostly in downtown Ottawa -- like Physical Limits, BodyWorks, Downtown Fitness Institute, Sparks Street Fitness... It didn't matter what type of class -- Step, Hi/Low Aerobics, Weights, Hip Hop,a smattering of yoga.... I was there.

It was the heyday of Aerobics in gyms across Ottawa. I fought for my 12 inches of space on the Aerobics floor and woe betide any upstart newbie bunny who dared to occupy the same 12 inches.  (Aerobics rules of etiquette anyone? I would mutter loudly.)  I often did double or triple classes on weekends. I made friends with the same passionate, committed people and this social network became my daily connection with the world of Aerobics. 

There was an elite group of Aerobicizers at the time at the BodyWorks Aerobics Studio on Elgin Street above the Mayflower Restaurant.  Many participants and instructors were among the first wave of the passionately committed folks and they remained actively involved for decades.  A close friend was among the first to work out there, and for years I had been amazed by her lithe stretching ability and passion for classes.

But it took me three trys to actually walk into a class there.  The first time I peeked in, I fled to Elgin Street, terrified at the intensity of the workouts.  When I finally steeled myself and made it into a class and found 'MY' spot (2nd row left toward the stereo), I was hooked.  To me, this was the place to be... participants worked out with intensity (some of them also hung out and made out together but I was pretty much on the fringe of all that).  

I found BodyWorks particularly cutting edge in music and choreography.  I revel in memories of classes with a live drumer  working us up to a peak of cardio frenzy (I know... I know. And it WAS primitive and primordial.)   One of my favourite instructors (I had many faves) used to get the class going in a pattern of moves, and then crouch down at the front, look at us and shout "Beauty" into the microphone.  I knew what he meant.  We'd roar our approval back at him.  WooHoo...   

I split my workout time among many clubs, following the best and hardest workouts possible. I have memories of doing a class at Physical Limits at noon and then running down Elgin Street for a 5:30 p.m. BodyWorks class.  On weekends, a close friend and I would gleefully do one class at one location, hop in his sporty little car, and zoom across town to another class.  We were PUMPED. 

Branching Out

Over time, running entered my life.  I'd do the gym at noon and go for a 5 km run with Goldie the dog around the suburbs in the country.  Eventually, I sampled all the 5 and 10 K runs like Rattle Me Bones, Nordion 10 km , Great Pumpkin Chase, Beat Beethoven , Annual Santa Claus Parade run, July 1 'Hot as Hell' run.  I never had fast times... just lots of cardiovascular endurance.   

But Aerobics remained my mainstay passion.  When I travelled for work, I sought out the hottest, hardest, most cutting edge studio I could find.  BodyAlive on Yonge Street in Toronto with Al Greene was the zenith of my experience.  My nirvana.  I'd be at a fed-prov meeting somewhere in the city and the minute it concluded, I'd grab a taxi, run into the club, change, get my ticket (NO one entered a studio without a ticket because it was so crowded and popular), and do the hardest class imaginable, 2nd row right, near a pillar.

Like the long-gone logo, the classes were hard core... complex choreography... intense music ... top-notch professional instructors.  I'd do a class, shower, dash across the street to Starbucks for a few bags of coffee beans (no Starbucks yet in Ottawa), flag a taxi, and head for Toronto Island for the last flight to Ottawa, often dropping into my seat in the nick of time, smelling of coffee beans, and still sweating (despite the shower) from the workout.  I'd practically fly the plane on my own adrenaline. 

One of the absolute highlights of those years was my 40th birthday, which came with a ticket from Husband to go to San Diego to see the International Aerobics Championships, featuring the Canadian champion who just happened to be a fave instructor from Ottawa.  It was more gynastics than aerobics but it was a thrill to watch the competitions.

The same instructor/national aerobics champion introduced me to plyometric jumping which ramped up my workouts to a new level.  I  remember the first time I did a tuck knee jump high into the air, followed by a flying jack ... He was behind me and propelled me still higher.  It took high impact classes to a new level for me. 

When Husband and I travelled from San Francisco to Los Angeles one holiday, I sampled every type of Aerobics class available between the two cities.  The classes were all light years ahead of Canada and little old Ottawa in every way -- moves, music, choreo, type of class.  San Francisco was hard-core step...  Carmel gave me the first taste of tai chi and pilates which were unheard of in Ottawa at the time ... I even tried a Pilates Reformer class, which was a stretch (small insider joke). LA was a smorgsbord of every type of class imaginable. The clubs were gi-normous.  I entered huge rooms with giant TV screens projecting the instructor so participants, numbering 200 or 300, could readily see him or her. 

My favourite LA memory is of an Environment conference I got to attend but then stayed behind for a Saturday morning workout in a warehouse somewhere in LA.  The 'cash only' class was a two-hour special workshop marathon given by one of the superstars of the Aerobics world.  She was unforgiving.  I've forgotten her name but the memory of that class remains. 

I had a somewhat shameful memory of trying to get into the Reebok Sports Club in New York.  A membership at that time was $10K a year.  I was outraged to be told that not only could I NOT pay for a drop-in class (excuse me!), I could only get a tour around the 160,000 square foot facility IF I planned to become a member.  I wrote nasty e-mails to Reebok on returning home about their lack of global leadership.  Unanswered of course.

Fitness conferences in the summer and winter were fun/fit times.  Can Fit Pro Conference at the Toronto Convention Centre was an opportunity to cram in 5 or 6 workshop workouts every day for up to five days with 6,000-10,000 other participants.  I didn't drink, smoke, eat sodium, or a lot of red meat and I LOVED it all.  Like my close aerobics friends who attended with me, we were High all the time.. on adrenaline! 

The times they are 'a-changing....'

After a decade of Aerobics bliss, the club scene in Ottawa inevitably began to change.  One club went bankrupt (twice), others followed.  BodyWorks shuttered its Elgin Street location with little notice to members because of noise infractions meted out by the City of Ottawa.  Favourite instructors moved on or quit teaching.  The social network got married, divorced, moved, were promoted and generally had less time for fitness (ahem, the latter would be me.) Injuries and stiffness started to plague me which I tried to ignore.  I spent too much time at physio.

I (and other dedicated souls) practically needed grief counsellors as the clubs started disappearing.  We organized impromptu classes at gyms and studios. We would drag out a little ghetto-tickler/stereo with NO pitch control (horrors!) on a dolly with a gallon of water and paper cups and work out for a few hours.  I'd recruit people for the class and collect a few bucks to give to Most Favourite Instructor.  If we could have found a suitable outdoor spot we would have!  If I'm painting a picture of pathetic, I don't mean to.  We would do anything it took to feed the need.  And we were successful most of the time.   

Around that time, and way too late in the game, I did a stint at teaching Aerobics.  I knew I would never make it to the 'A' list of instructors.  My musicality and cue-ing were OK but I lack creativity with the choreography.  My cardio levels deteriorated through illness and injury.  In the heyday of Aerobics, it was all freestyle 8, 16, 32 count patterns ... the instructors came up with their own routines.  I found it took a LOT of time, but thanks to close friends, I persevered, with teaching gigs at both Ys, BodyWorks, Ottawa Athletic Centre, Florida Fitness and, finally, yes, even Goodlife. Memories of teaching on stage, with friends, are among the finest highlights of my life. 

Les Mills Programs

As clubs folded, we (I) eventually ended up at Goodlife just before Goodlife bought the licences to the Les Mills system of fitness programs, which have taken the fitness industry by storm.  Their programs are used at Goodlife (and other clubs) globally. Les Mills programs originated in New Zealand (of all places!) and I think there are now 10,000 and upwards clubs around the world using their copyrighted programs -- BodyAttack (Hi/Low Aerobics), BodyStep, BodyPump, BodyVive, BodyBalance, BodyJam ... you get the drift.  More are added every year (e.g., Sh'Bam, CX30, RPM).

Freestyle is gone... the classes are all highly researched and moves tightly choreographed.  Instructors are certified.  Class formats, new music and moves for classes are all formulaic and scheduled on a quarterly basis.  And, oh yeah, it's no longer called 'Aerobics' -- it's 'group fitness' or Group EXercise.  Everything is highly branded and corporate. 

For example, I know that if I do BodyAttack at any of the Clubs here in Ottawa, the hour-long class will consist of 5-minute or so tracks that progress through warm up, mixed to high impact, plyometric, upper body conditioning/push-ups, running, agility, interval, power, lower body and core conditioning and cooldown.  If I go to Germany to a club there with the same program, I can be confident of same progression in the class.  I will know all the moves (the grapevines, heel digs, squats, superman, running man, tuck jumps etc) and sing along to familiar music.     

The Goodlife philosophy is NOT a bad thing or a criticism of them in any way. In fact, I wish I'd lived in New Zealand and had been part of the development of the Les Mills programs.  Back in my aerobics heyday and trying to teach, I craved some kind of structure other than freestyle.  I wish Goodlife/Les Mills had been around when I was younger and/or more fit as the classes are Challenging.  I especially appreciate Goodlife in that I can use the new social media technologies to track schedules easily ... anywhere ... anytime... I remember well my days of asking hotel desks and scanning yellow pages.  

But I'd be lying though if I said I felt 100% comfortable there anymore.  The participants in the really rockin' classes (like BodyAttack) are 20 and even 30 years younger than I am.  The classes are usually jammed to the rafters, especially when the best instructors are teaching. 

I can still 'rock' with the toughest of them, albeit more low than high impact (to the surprise of the youngsters)... but there are these, ah, 'rolls', that weren't there years ago.  I've always been a class gal and not an on-my-own type of participant.  But, sigh, the day is approaching when I will need to fundamentally re-evaluate what I'm doing fitness-wise and why.  My physiotherapist would say I'm overdue;)  The Walking Burpees on the latest BA release are doing me in.....

But I continue to persevere... spurred on by the what has always motivated me -- the MUSIC, the MOVES, my FRIENDS, and most of all by the INSTRUCTORS!  My heart still sings when the endorphin rush kicks in!

OK, Just a Few Funny Moments

To end on a high note.... there were funny moments in classes throughout the years and I will close out with a couple that are relate-able. 

For example, there was the time I was running late and changed, grabbed my towel, ran into the gym, started working out, went to use my towel and discovered (to my utmost embarrassment) that the 'towel' was my 'bra'.  I scurried to put it away at the side of the room. This was MUCH to the amusement of the back row of lads who would mutter at the start of every class, "Ok guys, Up Periscope".  I didn't care. I'd turn and tell them to "fill their boots or running shoes". 

There was the time I got kicked out of a class in San Francisco for inadvertently taking someone's spot (I didn't sign up in advance).  I was OUTraged, went to storm out of the class, and fell over the step, and had to be assisted, bleeding knee and all, from the studio. 

Another U.S. tale... one very weird class I found in Washington late one evening, turned out to be a kind of pole strip-tease class to train for spots in 'clubs'.  The instructor was only too accommodating in suggesting a 'private' remedial class for me.  I lasted 30 minutes and slipped away. I joined my colleagues for dinner an hour later and DIDN'T explain where I'd been.... 'Canadian senior public servant' does the strip tease was not a rumour I cared to start....' .    

A less-funny (but it was) incident involved a wardrobe malfunction when I was teaching a large group of aerobicizers at the YMCA in the big gym.  The microphone on my head caught in well, my wig... story for another day ... and my wig started sliding backwards off my head, much to the astonishment of the front-row participants, including former governor general Adrienne Clarkson.  I still remember the song, ''Praise You'' by Fat Boy Slim, and escaping into the music room to readjust.  How I got through that class is a mystery. 

Enough.  This is too long but I'm not paring it back.  There are many, many more tales that could be told. 

Last thought.  When I see that Jane Fonda, at 72 years, is planning a new fitness DVD for newbies to the aerobics scene... I can only stand up and applaud. 

Actually, more than that, I am sure I will buy or download it and move along with her.  If she still wants to 'feel the burn'... then so will I!

WooHoo. 

SmartCooks Miso Soup

November 2011

SmartCooks here.   Miso Soups

As the cold weather approaches, thoughts turn naturally to warm soups. I fondly remember that the only thing that got me through the Japan trips and my unfortunate experience at ordering food was miso broths.  The Just Hungry website gave me ideas on what I wanted to do so here is the SmartCooks versions.   

Miso soups fit in with my focus on Bentos, sushi rice, and smaller, lighter, mostly vegetarian food, I've researched and tried a series of miso soups.  Besides, I have a frig full of 3 types of miso. Why? I needed a bit for a Bento Box recipe, was in Herb and Spice and found 3 types, didn't know which one I would need, so naturally bought all three. 

((An aside .... I love making soups, have been doing so for the past few years as soon as it gets cold.  I make my own, no sodium, vegetable stock.  If I need chicken or beef stock, Glebe Meat Market and Saslov's both make good, organic, no sodium, hormone-free stocks but I've found it 50-50 in terms of finding them there when I need them so I stock up (pun intended) when I can.  My favourite soups to make are 5-mushroom with tarragon and sherry OR butternut squash with apple and celery OR curried zucchini OR carrot, ginger, and orange.  I've made and brought soup along to dinner with friends. They freeze very easily.  All will be featured in the coming weeks.))

So, back to miso soup or "miroshiru".  I have two types of miso in my frig:  red and white.  Red is a dark reddish brown, and is supposed to be saltier and stronger in flavor.  White is more popular and more versatile.  It can be white or white-yellow (called blended). Miso is based on a basic dashi stock, which is used in Japanese cooking. You can buy instant dashi (like bouillon cubes) but of course they are higher in sodium.  So.... a plug for making it from scratch. PLUS, unlike my experience making vegetable or chicken stock, Japanese dashi stock can be made quickly. 

Traditional Dashi Stock

There's just two basic ingredients: 

-- One is dried kombu seaweed, a dark, tough looking seaweed that comes in large sheets and is cut into smaller pieces;

-- The other is bonito flakes (called "katsuo bushi"), a type of fish.

To make 4 cups of stock would take 4 cups of water, mixed with a 4 inch square of kombu and a cup of bonito flakes.  There's more how-to-dos on the Just Hungry website. 


Vegetarian Dashi Stock


My focus will be on the vegetarian/vegan form of dashi stock, which is my preference.  The stock can either be kombu with water based or kombu with shitake mushrooms and water.  Again, the latter is my preference. 

The directions are straightforward and will produce a light brown coloured dashi with an shiitake flavor:
- Soak kombu in water in a closed container overnight in the fridge (minimum half an hour) e.g., a 12" long piece of kombu in about 8 cups of filtered water.
- Bring the dashi up to a simmer (not a full boil), then take out the kombu. The soaked kombu can be cooked further until soft. 
- To increase the flavour, add a couple of dried (never fresh) shiitake mushrooms in the water, soak for at least a couple of hours, or until the shiitake are quite soft.  


Basic Miso Soup with My Preference for Additions


The websites stress that the miso is always added last.  It should not be overboiled. The only exception they note is perhaps putting baby spinach in right after the miso.  The miso most recommended for miso soup is white or blended white-yellow.  Not red. 


I've put two versions that I have tried and liked.  There are of course endless variations on what to add to miso soup (e.g., chicken, julienned daikon radish and/or cabbage, shrimp, corn, spinach, greens, tofu, green onions etc.).
(Note:  Eventually I will replace the pix with my own versions when I figure out the proper good quality camera to use. In the meantime, I will always credit where I find them.)


1) Zucchini Vegan Miso Soup 


Ingredients:

- 4 cups of vegan dashi stock
- 1 cup zucchini, cut into thin strips (about 1 small zucchini)
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup white or blended miso


Directions:
Bring the dashi stock to a boil, and add the zucchini. Simmer until the zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes.


Put the miso into a small cup. Add a little of the hot dashi stock, and mix around until the miso is dissolved into a smooth paste.  Add to the soup. Taste the soup, and add a little more miso if it seems too weak for you. Bring the soup back up to heat, then switch off. Serve immediately.




2)  Grilled Eggplant and Mushroom Miso Soup

Ingredients:
- 4 cups of dashi stock
- 1 slim Chinese or Japanese style eggplant (can use Mediterranean but slice it thinner and in chunks)
- 4 to 5 medium sized mushrooms, or 2 large ones
- 1 or 2 ginger shoots (if you don't have shoot, use finely julienned ginger root)
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup white miso


Instructions: 
Keep vegan dashi stock warm.  Preheat grill pan until it's very hot. Slice the eggplant into round slices. Slice the mushrooms to about the same thickness as the eggplant.


Line the grill pan with the mushrooms. (There's no need to oil the pan, the mushrooms will not stick.) Grill on both sides until they are marked with grill lines and have shrunken a bit. Toss them into the dashi soup stock and simmer. 


Grill the eggplant slices in the same way, and put into the dashi soup. Continue simmering until the eggplant is tender, about 10 minutes. (You add the mushrooms first because they take longer than the eggplant to cook.


Chop the green part of the ginger shoots very finely.  Add the miso to the soup.  Serve immediately, garnished with the chopped ginger shoots or julienned ginger root.

SmartCooks Vegetarian Sushi Rolls: I Maybe Rock but Cannot Roll!

November 2011

SmartCooks here.

Vegetarian Sushi Rolls from scratch.

All I can say is Wow.  Double Wow.  This takes Commitment.  Time Commitment.  Babysit your Sushi Rice Commitment.  Learn How to Roll Commitment.  Cut it Properly Commitment.  I suppose I will get better in time but my first attempt at this had its Challenges in the plural.  

The websites were confusing about how to actually do this, what type of rice to use, what equipment, how to roll etc.  I decided to stick with the experts, like the Just Hungry website and recipes and instructions first posted there in 2004.  She has since updated them a few times and each time exhorts her readers to follow the instructions to the letter.  The Just Bento Cookbook was also helpful although the information is divided up in two chapters, with no cross-referencing. 

First, the Staples

The visit to T&T Supermarket to get supplies for making Sushi was the first challenge. 

First, it was the all-important Sushi Rice.  You think that would be a simple task (not).  It LOOKed easy at first.  As Husband and I walked in, there were bags of rice marked 'Sushi Rice' right at the front door.  40-lb bags that is.  I could not even lift that much rice, let alone store and use it.   

I scoured the store for smaller bags of rice.  Again, a challenge.  I finally found the Rice aisle but all the rice was either bulk-food size or not labelled Sushi Rice in English.  My attempts to ask the folks stocking the shelves ran into language issues.  I persevered and found one -- not as small as I really wanted but it sufficed.

The second challenge was finding Sushi Vinegar, which is an important step for spreading the rice onto the bamboo mat and cutting the sushi rolls (more on that later). Kikkoman makes one. 

The third challenge was finding the right type of Nori (seaweed) to use.  I was looking for one that specifically said 'Sushi Nori' and couldn't find it (in English anyway) at T&T.  There is one made by Eden Foods that I find all the time at Herb and Spice on Wellington Street.  Its importance will be clear later in the post.   

It took me less time to find the other staples -- the Bambo Rolling Mat (or "makisu") and rice paddle ("shamoji"), and plenty of pickled Ginger and Wasabi condiments. 

I did not buy the other staple recommended for making Sushi Rice, a wooden Sushi Oke Bowl (or "Hangiri").  Some websites consider a hangiri wooden bowl (cypress wood is the premium wood) essential to making perfectly seasoned sushi rice as it helps absorb excess moisture.

Origins of Sushi and Sushi Rice

Many people (I think I was among them) thought that Sushi MUST have raw fish.  So not true.  Sushi refers to the rice, not what goes in it.  Vegetables are Fine.  Phew. 

The term "sushi" comes from an archaic grammatical form no longer used in other contexts; literally, sushi means "sour-tasting", a reflection of its historic fermented roots.
The vinegar produced from fermenting rice breaks down the fish proteins into amino acides. This results in one of the five basic tastes, called "umami" in Japanese.

The common ingredient of sushi is of course "sushi rice".  The type I want to make is called "rolled rice" or "makizushi" .  More specifically, I was going for "futomaki" or thick rolls rolled into a large cylindrical piece using a bamboo mat and wrapped in nori on the outside.  Usually futomaki are rolled with two or three fillings and is often vegetarian, so this was exactly what I wanted.  Toooooo bad I didn't have this kind of information on my trips to Japan... it would have made my life, and attempts at ordering food, so much simpler. 

The Rules

There's a definite 'must-follow' set of procedures for making Sushi Rice and websites are just filled with contradictory advice.  I stuck with the experts.  Sushi rice is a particular variety of Japanese rice, or "japonica" rice and simply cannot substitute long-grain rice, or the regular stuff we get in our 90-second microwavable Uncle Ben's packages.  Those will all go "mushy".  

Rice first..... Sushi rice has to be medium grain so that the rice grains cling together without becoming mushy.  (Note:  many websites said 'small grain' is best but again I went with my reference source of Just Hungry/Just Bento.) 

The washing and rinsing steps are critical to producing properly cooked Japanese style rice.

Did I mention the TIME commitment?  In spades.  Read on.

To make 4 cups of cooked rice, I used:

- A heavy-bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid

- 2 cups of uncooked 'sushi rice'
- 2 1/4 cups of water or dashi stock

Washing the rice is a 'must do'.  Measure out the rice carefully into the pot and rinse vigorously under running water. Swish the rice around with your hands -- the water will turn a milky white color. Do this until water starts to look clear (3-4 times).  Experts suggest swishing with your hands and even rub the grains together with your palms. 

Once satisfied, drain the rice with a fine mesh sieve and let it rest for a minimum of 30 minutes.  Then put the rice in a pot and add the 2 1/4 cups of water or dashi stock. Again, let it soak for awhile (30 minutes to an hour but not more than 8 hours).  Once ready, bring rice to a boil over medium heat then put on a tight fitting lid. Cook on high for 1 minute, then reduce the heat to medium, and cook for another 4-5 minutes, reduce to low heat for about 10 minutes or until the water is completely absorbed. (Don't open the lid to peek!) 

Finally, remove rice from the heat and drape a cloth over the pot for about 10-15 minutes to let it fully absorb the moisture and rest.  The final step is critical for having grains that will stick together but are not mushy or watery.

Take 1/4 cup of Sushi Vinegar. Moisten your spatula or paddle with a little of the vinegar. Turn your hot rice out into the bowl or plate. Pour the sushi vinegar over the rice. Working rapidly, turn and mix the rice, taking care not to squish the grains. Use a cut-turn-fold motion with one hand. With your other hand, rapidly fan the rice to cool it.  The book suggests roping in an assistant to help with the vinegar and cooling or even use a hair dryer on the 'cool' setting.  I did this part on our back deck where it was downright COLD.  Anyway, you keep going until the rice has absorbed the vinegar, and has cooled down to about body temperature (it should be just a bit warm to the touch). 

Vegetables for the filling .... There are endless variations for filling vegetarian sushi rolls.  Vegetables are all seeded and cut into matchsticks. Some can be cooked slightly or left raw (my preference).

Usually 3-4 of the following list are used in any one roll:
- Asparagus
- Avocaco
- Carrots
- Cucumber (Kirby or English)
- Japanese Daikon radish
- Mushrooms (shitake, enoki etc.)
- Snow peas
- Peppers (red, yellow, green, orange)
- Scallions
- * Salmon (also a favourite, about the only fish I really like)

There are other fillings of course but the above are my favourites. 

Notes on Sushi Brown Rice, Sushi Vinegar and Dashi Stock:  Sushi brown rice is harder to find (I didn't find it) but the websites have the variations if you are able to find it.  I bought Sushi Vinegar but it is also very easy to make; the Just Hungry website has an easy recipe using regular and cider vinegars.  

I had to do a lot of research to figure out Dashi Stock.  In fact, I just used water so you could say I wasn't doing real Sushi Rice.  Dashi stock has fish (bonito) flakes in it and I am not keen on fish so I avoided it and went with water.  However, my research also turned up a vegan recipe for Dashi Stock where either kombu (another type of kelp seaweed like Nori), shiitake mushrooms and/or soybeans can be used.  I will try that next time.....

Filling and Hand Rolling Sushi Rice ...

I watched a few videos on You Tube before diving into this part of the recipe.  Bamboo mats are apparently best because they absorb any excess moisture that occurs during the rolling process.  I rolled out my bamboo mat and made my first mistake.  The mat needs to be positioned so that the lines run horizontally; if placed vertically, the sushi won't roll.  I then spent a few minutes trying to decide which side of the nori seaweed square was 'shiny' side down and rough side up.  I gave myself a 'D' for Dumb as I ended up guessing. 

Then came the process of rolling out the rice onto the nori sheet.  The Sushi Vinegar comes into play at this point. Moisten the rice paddle in a mixture of water, Sushi vinegar and salt to keep the rice from sticking to the paddle. A small ball of rice is placed in the centre of the nori sheet and spread evenly out to 3 of the 4 edges.  At the top of the seaweed, leave 1/2 to and 1 inch for sealing the roll.  Then spread the filling in a line across the centre (I started with a very thin line of wasabi as I love it... but only a bit!).  Then avocado, etc.  


Rolling up the mat did me in.  I watched videos.  I practiced.  My rolling did not rock or roll.  I started folding the end of the bamboo mat with the exposed nori toward the opposite end.  At the same time, you keep guiding the filling to the centre.  (My fillings kept trying to escape.) 

Eventually I got a kindof tube shape and I squeezed to shape it further.  Then I unrolled the mat and realized it was sticking to the mat in spots (some instructions suggest using Saran Wrap over the bamboo mat to keep it from sticking.... Then ideally you use some water to ensure the nori ends stick together (some of mine did, some didn't)... I ended up chasing all the escaped rice and vegetables...

Even cutting the tube became a challenge.  I had a sharp knife and moistened it slightly with vinegar/water mix and tried a smooth cut down the sushi.  Mostly rolls stuck and crumpled to a blob. 

In the end I got 30 pieces out of 6 logs.  Avocado, cucumber and carrot with wasabi and ginger on the side.  I took a few in a bento but forgot to bring the soy sauce or would have used it as well.  Despite the time and failed attempts at rolling, they were of course delicious. 

Is it worth it?  Well, it's a challenge.  I liked that I tried it myself.  I found going back and forth among all the various "how-to" guides a pain.  It's a major commitment of time for sure!  I will see how long it is before I try this again. 

Final word, alternatives!!!

There's rice cookers of course but the whole idea was to make them from scratch so I did no research on rice cookers.  Besides, I have no room in my kitchen for another gadget-y thing.  

There's also a novel little, low-tecky gadget that allows roll-challenged people like me to sidestep the bamboo mat rolling diasters.  Basically, you put nori, rice and the fillings in a tube and out push it out at one end, perfectly formed.  That type of mold just might work for me! 

Have to go now.  My reading is a "Sushi for Dummies" Guide.   

Try it yourself.  Don't get discouraged.  If I did it again, I'm sure it would take less time.  I'm positive practice is the key to success with this.  

SmartCooks

SmartCooks: Tonkatsu for Bentos AND Dinner

SmartCooks Bentos 6-10

SmartCooks here.

Bentos encore!  Numbers 6-10 for Week 2 of "Let's Go Bento-ing"!   

I can't get enough of the Just Bento and Just Hungry websites and cookbook.  They are full of nutritious, healthy, Japanese-style cooking tips, primarily vegetables but not exclusively.

The recipes for Bentos 6-10 are posted below.  I redid two dishes from last week:  Celeriac/Carrot Salad (far right) and Cucumber/Cabbage Pickles (in a silicone cup on left side) so won't include those recipes in this posting. The Red Onion and Parsley Salad is shown in the middle compartment on the bottom, the Stir Fry Bok Choy is top right and Chicken/3-colour Peppers is on the left side. 

All 3 new Bentos were easy, not large quantities and kept well in storage:  
- Red Onion and Parsley Salad;
- Stir-Fry Bok Choy; and
- Chicken with Three-Colour Peppers Stir Fry.

In addition, I made two other dishes for use during the week:  Tonkatsu Pork Chops and Sushi Rice.  I'm doing separate, short, blog postings for those two recipes as I plan to return to them again and again.  

First, New Staples!

Following my successful shopping adventure to the ever-so-claustrophically crowded T&T Supermarket in Ottawa, I was ready to go.  I now have Shichimi pepper, my new "go-to" pepper.  It is a mix of seven different spices. It’s not really that spicy in small amounts. It’s mainly used to add a little heat to dishes and as a garnish. The mix is typically made from:

Ground red pepper
Sesame seeds
Poppy seeds
Sansho pepper*
Dried citrus peel
Flaxseeds
Nori (seaweed)

And, since I've never heard of Sansho pepper, I checked  the Japanese Kitchen website.  Despite its name, Sansho pepper is not actually a pepper -- more of a spice with a bit of lemon. Sansho pepper is usually sold ground, but you can also buy the berries and grind it yourself. It’s typically used on grilled foods like yakitori (chicken).  The sansho or prickly ash tree also yields the fragrant kinome leaves -  which are often used as a garnish.

So, yummm.  A new spice to add to my collection.  

Bento Recipes

1) Red Onion and Parsley Salad (Let's Bento)

Ingredients:

1/2 medium red onion, very thinly sliced (I used a mandoline)

pinch salt

Small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (I used half curly, half flat leaf)

black pepper

1 tsp rice vinegar

pinch sugar

Directions:

Sprinkle the onion with a pinch of salt, and massage the salt into the onion with your hands. This takes away much of the harsh flavour of the onion slices, leaving them softened yet still crunchy.  The onion will exude a lot of water.  Squeeze to expel as much moisture as possible.  (I left them in a colander for half an hour).  Mix ingredients well and store.  (Note:  This easily lasts 3 days in the refrigerator, well covered, so judge quantities accordingly.)

2) Stir-Fry Bok Choy (Bryson's Farms )

Ingredients:

1 lb bok choy (I used what I would call one 'head' of bok choy
4 ounces (1/2 cup) chopped mushrooms (shitake, oyster)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T. ginger, minced
3 T. canola oil
½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Few drops of sesame oil

Vegetable or Chicken stock (if on hand)

 

(Note:  I added a few sprigs of other greens to this since I have so MUCH green stuff.  I also cut the bok choy into smaller pieces so it fit into the Bento box)

 

Directions: 

Trim the bok choy of any discoloured leaves and slice it into 1 ½ inch pieces.  Heat the oil in a preheated frying pan or wok. Add the mushrooms, garlic, ginger, salt and stir fry for a minute or so. Add the bok choy and sugar and cook for 45 seconds or so. Add 2-3 tablespoons water or vegetable or chicken stock and cover. Cook for another minute until just tender.  Season lightly with some sesame oil and serve.

 

3) Chicken with Three-Colour Pepper Stir Fry 

(Let's Bento )

 

Ingredients:

1/2 T olive or other vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

3 T roughly chopped green onions

2 tsp peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger

1/2 each of medium-sized red, green and yellow sweet peppers, de-seeded and cut into 1/2 inch chunks (can also do strips)

salt, for sprinkling

2 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch chunks (can do more chicken... I did) 

black pepper, to taste

1 T soy sauce

1 tsp Sriracha sauce (optional) 

 

Directions:

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Add the green onion and ginger and stir fry for 1-2 minutes until the oil is fragrant.  Turn the heat to the highest setting and add the peppers to the pan.  Stir fry with a spatula or long chopsticks.  Sprinkle in some salt to draw out moisture from the vegetables and cook them faster.  Continue stir frying for 4-5 minutes, until the peppers are cooked. 

 

Push vegetables to the sides of the pan and add the chicken to the pan.  Leave for a couple of minutes to cook, then turn over to finish cooking.  Stir everything together, and add black pepper, soy sauce and Sriracha (if using). 

 

Put the stir fry from the pan onto a cold plate to cool rapidly.  When cooled, pack into a container and store in refrigerator.